MacKay
A Gaelic surname meaning “son of Hugh” or “son of Aodh,” often linked with the idea of fire or ardor.
The #3,600 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,231 Americans shares it.
Etymology
MacKay is the anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha or Mac Aedha, meaning “son of Aodh.” Aodh was an old Gaelic personal name, commonly connected with the idea of fire, heat, or ardor. Some 19th-century writers simplified this further as “son of Hugh,” because the name was often equated with Hugh in English usage.
History
The name is strongly associated with the Scottish Highlands and appears in older surname scholarship as a Highland or Celtic surname. Irish sources also treat related forms such as Mac Aodha, with many anglicized spellings developing over time, including Mackie, MacKey, McKay, and related forms. In Britain and later in North America, the surname spread through migration and standardization of spellings.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname books explicitly grouped Mackay with surnames like Hoey and Hughes as different forms of the same original Gaelic name.
From the historical record
“a Northamptonshire surname. MACKAY (Celt.) Son of Aedh or Aodh =Art dour [Qael. and Ir. Mac Aedha or Aodha(dh mute) — mac. son + aedh, aodh (genit. aedha, aodha), fire, ardour : cp. Wei. didd, ardour] Mac Kean Mac Lay”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)